P2 // 121 points // 2 wins // Haas F1 Esports

It’s one thing to join a racing series and immediately fit in. It’s another case entirely to do that, and threaten the very status quo. F1 Esports’ second Dutch superstar has done just that in 2022, and his name is Thomas Ronhaar. From his robust performance at the Pro Exhibition in June, he’s been right on the pace.

An acceptance letter from Haas and two wins later, and he’s a bona fide frontrunner. So how has the 17-year-old come in and stamped his authority so quickly?

“The Pro Ex definitely gave me a good view of what’s coming in the future,” he began.

“Winning that gave me a confidence boost for the season ahead. It also told the teams that I’m the person who can perform under pressure. The pressure really gets to you at a LAN-based event like the Pro Ex, so I told myself ‘just drive, keep doing what you’re doing’, and that’s worked so far.”

If his mantra is ‘keep doing what you’re doing’, his rivals had better take note. First, third and second were his results in Event 3, with a top-three in qualifying in all three races.

“Qualifying has been crucial this season. I think it’s showed that my pace is definitely up there. I think one of my strongest points in my driving style is performing when it matters, under pressure.”

In truth, Ronhaar has soaked up pressure all year. He performed well in Challengers at the beginning of 2022, earning himself a spot at the Pro Exhibition. His triumph there put him on Haas’ radar – and now he’s in second place in the Pro Championship. The peaks of the season are not hard to guess.

“Getting my first win in Austria gave me the confidence to push forward. I know in myself that I can get some more wins and podiums to close the gap to the front.

“Event 3 could not have gone much better for me. Closing the gap from 48 points to 11 to Lucas [Blakeley] is something really remarkable. I wouldn’t have thought the gap would be this tight going into the last event, but anything can happen in F1 Esports.”

TRACK RECORDS

While the season has been mixed for most of the drivers, the playing field will be levelled to a degree, with the return of two tracks that have been absent for a while.

“I think they are three enjoyable tracks. The layouts are really nice, especially Japan and Brazil. Abu Dhabi, I like the new layout although I’ve never really liked the flow, but I think Event 4 has the most enjoyable tracks.”

With no track record to speak of, Ronhaar is something of a wildcard going into the last event. So, with one final effort remaining, how is the Haas man feeling going into the last three races?

“I’ve prepared as much as possible, and I’m filled with as much confidence as I can be before the event starts.

“The goal is of course to win all three, and maybe three poles too. Obviously, that’s hugely hard against all these amazing drivers, but anything can happen.”

Three wins in one event. It’s never happened before – could this be the moment? Join us from Wednesday, December 14 to find out, as the Grand Final kicks off.

And don’t miss our final interviewee ahead of the Grand Final, as we find out how Lucas Blakeley is feeling.

They came, they saw, and he conquered! Dutchman Thomas Ronhaar prevailed in the 2022 F1 Esports Series Pro Exhibition, presented by Aramco, and is in the pound seat for selection by one of the 10 official F1 Esports teams.

Held at Silverstone’s fabulous University Technical College on the outskirts of the track between Woodcote and Copse, the event brought together 26 of the world’s fastest young sim racing talents. From all over the UK, Europe, and even as far afield as Hong Kong, the drivers were put through their paces in a series of races and mini-tournaments.

The Women’s Wildcard, Semi-finals and Finals whittled down the pack to the 15 fastest drivers, with Ronhaar amassing the most points over the final three races to take his crown. All competitors are now eligible for selection by the teams, but you can bet that they’ll be sniffing out those who performed best for their rosters.

WOMEN’S WILDCARD

The first day of the event saw the Women’s Wildcard take place, with a three-race series contested across Bahrain, Austria and Brazil. Despite only having picked up the F1 2021 game a few weeks before the event, Mira Schmitt was the class of the field, winning all three races! She triumphed over last year’s winner Rebecca Morrell, as well as newcomers Cythia Lok and Rachel Wood, progressing into Tuesday’s racing in the Semi-finals.

SEMI-FINALS

With Schmitt joining the remaining 25 drivers, day two of the event was ready for the off. Two groups of 13 drivers participated in three races; 25% races in Britain and Brazil, with a five-lap Sprint around Austria thrown into the mix.

In Group 1, Jake Benham cemented his authority, first triumphing over Luke Smith in a dong-dong duel around Silverstone, then again in a breathless scrap around Spielberg, leading Smith home once more. The final race in Brazil? More of the same, as Benham prevailed over Smith, with Duncan Hofland third. The same three drivers filled the top three spots in all three races, hinting that they’ll be major players in 2022.

Group 2 rolled around, and Polish ace Piotr Stachulec claimed the first win after a topsy-turvy first race around Silverstone. Wilson Hughes had finished first on the road, but a penalty for contact with Kristof Szelle on the final lap dropped him down to P10. A fascinating slipstream fight around Spielberg was up next, with Stachulec taking the win on the road this time, heading Jed Norgrove and Szelle across the line. Ronhaar saved his best for last, prevailing around the always-entertaining Interlagos, beating Szelle by just over three tenths; Joost. Nordijk completing the rostrum.

FINALS

The third and final day heralded the final of the competition itself, with the fastest seven drivers from each cohort joined by the highest-scoring of the two drivers in eighth place – Norgrove.

That meant a final 15 group of: Matthew Alder, Samuel Bean, Jake Benham, Duncan Hofland, Wilson Hughes, Sam McLean, Joost Nordijk, Jed Norgrove, Jordin Poland, Tomasz Poradzisz, Thomas Ronhaar, Luke Smith, Piotr Stachulec, Mirko Suriano, and Kristof Szelle.

The first race was a familiar 25 percenter around Bahrain, and quickly a trend emerged, as Benham and Ronhaar headed the field in the twin Mercedes. They remained in that order until the pit stops, where Ronhaar was able to take the lead. But echoes of Bahrain 2014 were heard when the duo went head-to-head at Turn 1, Benham shooting through. They were separated by just 0.166s at the chequered flag, with Ronhaar second, ahead of Stachulec in third.

Now for something completely different, with a 25% race in the rain around Spa-Francorchamps. Ronhaar led from Benham, but an unbelievable duel between the two of them for pretty much the entire final two laps threatened to shake up the status quo! Ronhaar held on for the win ahead of Benham, with Smith coming home to take the final spot on the podium – and fastest lap.

The final race brought the gang to Circuit of the Americas, where Ronhaar, Smith and Benham continued their momentum early on. Unfortunately, a technical issue denied Benham the opportunity to challenge, and he dropped out of contention. Not yet having tasted victory, Smith give it his all on the final lap, and brilliantly passed Ronhaar to take victory with just metres remaining in the Pro Exhibition.

RESULTS

With that, Ronhaar was crowned champion! His tally of 61 points stood high and mighty over Smith’s 49, with Benham picking up third with 43. Take a look at the full final results below:

It’s now up to the 10 official F1 Esports teams to decide which of our Pro Exhibitionists they’d like to join their team for 2022. Keep an eye on social media and make sure you check the hashtag #F1Esports to see who’s going where! We’ll see you in September for the first round of the 2022 Pro Championship, where the hunt for our next superstar continues.